VC Board of Supervisors Maintains Perks While Eliminating Same for Employees

Comments to BOS on 12/10/2013:

Earlier this year the Board of Supervisors approved labor agreements that by July of 2014 will eliminate the employer pick-up of the employee’s share of pension costs for members of SEIU, Operating Engineers and employees covered by the Management Resolution – including elected department heads - everyone in those groups except members of the Board of Supervisors.

Why have you exempted yourselves from paying your fair share of pension costs when others are now required to do so?

In 2001 the Board adopted an Ordinance to set Supervisors’ base salary at a level equal to 70% of the salary of a Superior Court Judge with a five percent annual cap on increases, and to provide those benefits “common in private industry or government, which are: health insurance, life insurance, retirement, deferred compensation plans, 401(k) plans, car allowance and medical examination”.

The Ordinance concluded “it is the intent of the Board that the salary and benefits so provided is the entire compensation for Supervisors’ services….”

But that is not what is happening.  Supervisors require that taxpayers pay part of their pension costs for them.  The employer “pick-up” is as much as $9,000 annually for some of you and to add insult to injury the County will include the pick-up in your pension calculations which “spikes” your life-time pension.

Nowhere in the three page Ordinance do we see specific mention of a pick-up of the Supervisor’s contribution to the retirement plan.  Yet it’s happening and taxpayers are on the hook for these payments.

The authorization for this perk is tucked-away in a separate Management Resolution, a document describing compensation and benefits for unrepresented employees – also approved by the Board

We urge that you do the right thing and place an Agenda Item for Board approval,  to require that members of the Board of Supervisors pay their full and fair share of pension costs, as you have already done for members of SEIU, Operating Engineers and all employees covered by the Management Resolution.

2012 Compensation per A/C

Kathy Long       $8,929

Peter Foy               -0-

John Zaragoza  $3,753

Steve Bennett    $8,518

Linda Parks        $3,718

ACTION: Click here to contact the BOS and demand that they pay their full and fair share of pension costs.

______________________________

Ventura County Taxpayers Association | PO Box 3878 | Ventura | CA | 93006 – [email protected]